Community Comes Together for Families in Need

FL1. Subaru representatives Tim Reeher and Mark Lees with Meals on Wheels of Sarasota Executive Director Marjorie Broughton “Share the Love” with the community for the holidays.

Meals on Wheels of Sarasota gets holiday help from local businesses.

Sarasota – December 2, 2018 – The staff and volunteers at Meals on Wheels of Sarasota has teamed with local businesses to collect holiday presents for homebound seniors, veterans, children and families in need. For the past few weeks, Meals on Wheels asked the community to donate gifts for more than 600 home-bound clients, to brighten their holidays and let them know they are not forgotten. Residents and business owners embraced the challenge and donated not only items for gift bags, but also grand transportation for collecting the gifts.

Sunset Subaru provided a vehicle to pick up donations at local businesses. Tim Reeher, sales manager at Sunset Subaru, arranged the use of a vehicle and sales associate Mark Lees volunteered to drive the new Subaru Ascent to pick up donated gifts.

Five Michaels Saunders and Company real estate offices and Mattress Firm on South Tamiami Trail were gift collection sites for their staff and for the public. Several local businesses also hosted a holiday gift drive for their employees including Bank of America; U.S. Trust; Merrill Lynch; Tarpon Point Nursing & Rehabilitation Center; Sarasota County’s Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collectors and Clerk of Courts Offices; Sarasota Magazine; and Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. With so many stops and so many donations, the logistics of collecting all the gifts safely and efficiently was a priority. That’s when Marjorie Broughton, executive director at Meals on Wheels of Sarasota thought of reaching out to Sunset Subaru.

“The saying that not all heroes wear capes is true,” said Broughton. “We are overwhelmed at the outpouring of generosity by so many, and with Sunset Subaru’s help, we will indeed be able to deliver happy holidays along with healthy meals to families in need.”

Broughton had contacted Sarasota’s Sunset Subaru because their annual “Share the Love” campaign that supports local charities – including Meals on Wheels – is currently underway through January 2, 2019. A national campaign, Subaru will donate $250 to a charity of choice for every new purchase or lease. “A partnership like this is a natural,” said Reeher. “We are always happy to support our community and were thrilled to be called on by Meals on Wheels of Sarasota to help bring holiday cheer to people in need.”

At Meals on Wheels of Sarasota, 550 volunteers help prepare, pack, and deliver heart healthy meals, six days a week, year-round, using their own vehicles and gas. Meals on Wheels clients, who range in age from 6 to 103, receive meals because they are physically or mentally impaired, and unable to prepare meals or go to a food pantry or grocery store.

To learn more about the gift drive, volunteering, or donating through a charitable fund, contact Meals on Wheels of Sarasota: info@mealsonwheelsofsarasota.org or 941-366-6693.